Abstract A017: The geospatial analysis of the socioeconomic status and its impact on prostate cancer prevalence in Alabama
Authors: Manoj K. Mishra, Seela Aladuwaka, Ram Alagan
Journal: Cancer Research (2023)

Abstract Background: This study aims to understand the impact of Socioeconomic status (SES) and how it influences the aging population, increasing the risk of many diseases, including prostate cancer. The cancer prevalence in Alabama is high; prostate cancer rates are particularly high in the diverse male populations. Alabama's Black Belt rural counties are closely associated with socioeconomic and health disparities, and political oppression, among which social equity and socioeconomic status have been closely associated with prostate cancer incidence. This study explores prostate cancer occurrence in the aging population in the major ethnic groups (African American and Whites) in the State of Alabama, mainly in the black belt of Alabama. Prior studies have revealed that prostate cancer prevalence is related to biological, environmental, and socioeconomic characteristics. A precise sense of the root causes of the age-related increase in prostate cancer incidence is required to develop a strategy for building primary spatial and non-spatial cancer data using machine-learning tools. Hypothesis/Objectives: We hypothesized that SES might impact prostate cancer occurrence among the aging population. Our study aims to explore the impact of SES factors to understand prostate cancer incidence in the aging population in Alabama. Methods: We utilized Geospatial Technology (GT) to analyze the connection between aging and prostate cancer prevalence in different ethnic populations in Alabama. This study incorporated county-level prostate cancer prevalence and association with aging, SES, and health disparities. The robust data mining (Alabama Department of Senior Services, Alabama State Cancer Profile data, Alabama Department of Health, American Cancer Society, Center for Disease Control, and National Cancer Institute) enabled us to explore the association between aging and prostate cancer in the spatial context. Integrating spatial and non-spatial data on prostate cancer prevalence to SES will help predict and formulate prostate cancer prevention methods. Results: The GT's secondary data analysis revealed that prostate cancer affects minority communities in the Black Belt in Alabama. The GT analysis further demonstrates that this disparity is due to a lack of access to health care and mitigation efforts. The diverse data integration reveals that the SES and related factors modulate the aging population and prostate cancer occurrence. Conclusions: The preliminary finding demonstrates that SES is an essential factor that modulates prostate cancer incidences in underserved minority aging populations in Alabama. Hence, understanding the association between aging and socioeconomic disparities will help predict and prevent prostate cancer more effectively. Citation Format: Manoj K. Mishra, Seela Aladuwaka, Ram Alagan. The geospatial analysis of the socioeconomic status and its impact on prostate cancer prevalence in Alabama [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Aging and Cancer; 2022 Nov 17-20; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;83(2 Suppl_1):Abstract nr A017.